Knee-pad



(No Model.) W. P. PERGUSSON.

KNEE PAD.

i? Ezyzz $5012.

Patented July 7, 1896.

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IVILLIAM P. FERGUSSON, OF HAMILTON, TEXAS.

KNEE-PAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 563,468, dated July 7, 1896.

Application filed February 24, 1896. $erial No. 580,451. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM P. FERGUSSON,

a citizen of the United States, residing at This invention aims toprovide a simple and effective means for protecting cotton-pickers and others whose duty compels them to crawl upon the ground from thorny growths, pebbles, stones, and other articles which have a tendency to injure the knees and inflict pain.

To this and such other ends as appertain'to the invention, the latter consists, primarily, of a substructure or base of oval form .of metal, leather, or other stout material capable of receiving and retaining a given form, and depressed into a substantially concavoconvex form and providing a knee-pocket in its top side, an apron secured to the edges of the base and adapted to be wrapped about that portion of the limb immediately below the knee, a padding of felt or other filling material interposed between the substructure and the apron, and straps attached to the ends of the substructure and to the apron, so as to secure the protector in place.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings and the following description, in which corresponding and like parts are designated by the same reference-characters.

Figure 1 shows the invention applied. I Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof as seen from the outer side. Fig. 3 is a detail section on the line X X of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the base or substructure providing the knee pocket.

The substructure or base 1 is of oval'form, swelling toward the end designed to come 0pposite the knee, and is constructed of any sheet material suitable for the purpose and possessing lightness, capable of resisting wear, impervious to moisture, and sufficiently pliable to receive and retain any required shape. For all practical purposes the base will be formed from a blank of sole-leather and will be crimped or depressed into an approximately concavo-convex form, so 'as to provide a pocket in one side for the reception of the knee and a portion of the shin.

An apron 2, of duck, canvas, or other textile fabric, is attached to the base 1 at the edges thereof, and consists of a strip of a width slightly longer than the base and of a length to completely encircle the limb and provide a lapped joint at its ends. The base 1 is located near one end of the apron, so that the lapped joint will be formed at one side of the limb. A padding 3, of felt or other material generally employed for stuffing furniture and the collars and saddles of harness, is interposed between the base and a portion of the apron and is intended to afford a cushion for the knee of the wearer. In the preferred construction the padding 3 is a block of felt and is inclosed between portions of the apron 2, the whole being secured to the base by a row of stitching adjacent to the edge of the base.

The attaching-straps 4 are secured to the ends of the base 1 between the latter and the apron, preferably by the stitching employed for securing the base, apron, and padding together, thereby reducing the cost of manufacture to a minimum. The short ends of the attaching-straps correspond in position to the short end of the apron and carry the buckles, and the longer ends extend in the same direction as the longer end of the apron and are designed to pass around the limb and secure the protector in position after being properly adjusted.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- The herein shown and described knee-pad, comprising an oval base of sole leather pressed into a concave-convex form, providing a knee-pocket in its inner side, an apron of textile material secured near one end to the said base and of a length to completely encircle the limb and provide a lap-joint, a padding secured between the apron and base, and attaching-straps fastened near one end to the end portions of the base and between the latter and the apron and adapted to be buckled about the limb and the apron, substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

IVILLIAM P. FERGUSSON. Witnesses:

FRED. M. PHELPS, E. G. KINGSBURY. 

